The romance of travel can die quickly when you see your credit card statement. Few of us enjoy being charged to use our own money and when it comes to foreign transaction fees, it’s no different.

What might feel like just a few extra dollars in fees can quickly add up to a hefty end sum. For example, if you charge $2,000 to a credit card with a foreign transaction fee of 3%, that’s an extra $60.

Adding an authorized user to your credit card can be a win-win situation.

You’ll rack up points and earn welcome bonuses faster, while they’ll build their credit history, enjoy cardholder perks and pay a much-reduced annual fee (if any!).

Yet, just as choosing the right credit card for yourself can be challenging, so too can identifying the best card for you and an authorized user. Not every card offers the same benefits to the authorized user as it does the primary cardholder.

As awesome as using points and miles are to book flights, sometimes you have to pay cash for your flights. Whether you found a great deal on airfare, or there just isn’t award availability and you’re absolutely itching to take a trip, sometimes paying for flights just works better. When you’re looking to buy a flight, you should be using the best credit card to buy a flight.

Even when you are booking an award flight, there are inevitable taxes and fees that you just can’t avoid.

But that’s easier said than done.

With a wallet full of credit cards, it's best practice to commonly assess your credit card portfolio to ensure that the benefits you receive from the cards outweigh the annual fees that you pay. If not, it's time to close that card or cards in most cases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of our favorite flexible rewards currencies, and today’s news adds a much needed boost for Ultimate Rewards.

Right now, if you sign up for Airbnb through this link, you’ll get $50 off your first qualifying booking.

Many moons ago, Airbnb started as a home sharing platform and turned into a full-fledged hospitality behemoth. Sure, you can still get a room in someone’s house, or even a bed in a shared room, but most travelers are now using Airbnb as an alternative to a hotel stay.

You get more space, a kitchen, a separate living space and whatever amenities your pocketbook can afford.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Credit Card both have made a few waves in the ocean of rewards credit cards recently. Both earn flexible points, have comparable annual fees and charge no foreign transaction fees.

However, are these two cards really that similar? Let’s go over their differences and similarities to help you decide which choice suits your needs best.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardCapital One Venture Credit Card5X points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠3X Ultimate Rewards points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs).

When I’m trying to decide what my next credit card is going to be, I consider a lot of factors. What trips do I want to take in the next one to two years? What points do I currently have? What points do I want? What’s my 5/24 status? 

These questions always help guide me towards a card that will help me meet my goals. I don’t open cards just for the sake of opening them.